ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Matthew Schiller makes photography accessible

A high school science teacher can serve as an important inspiration, opening doorways for students to discover and explore things about the world around them. One particular science teacher at Riverside Poly High School has taken the inspiration that he provides and added a twist through the on-campus photography club that he has led for the past eight years.

Matthew Schiller became interested in photography through his father, whose own work served to inspire his son.

âAfter he got me a cheap camera to play around with when I was in middle school, I took a summer class on photography at UC Riverside,â says Schiller. âI have been hooked ever since.â

Born in New York City, Schillerâs family moved to Riverside when he was a little over a year old. After graduating from Riverside Poly, he got his BS in biology at UC San Diego with minors in photography and psychology. He then went on to receive his MS in biochemistry and teaching credential at UC Riverside.

While Schillerâs wife, Charity (a partner at Best Best & Krieger, a law firm headquartered in downtown Riverside) was in law school at Pepperdine University, he began his teaching career at Westlake High School in Westlake Village.

âI am excited to be back at Poly, though, since I graduated from here as well,â he says.

After devoting himself to his primary efforts as a science teacher for the first four years of his teaching career, Schiller decided to start the Poly Photography Club. He explains that he felt the need to find his own sense of inspiration in the art form again. He also recognized the important role that photography could play in the lives of his students.

âI think that most academic classes today donât leave enough room for students to think on their own,â says Schiller. âThere is so much information taught in classes that many teachers are taxed enough with getting through the material without being able to think of creative ways for students to express their understanding of it. Everyone needs some way of expressing their creativity whether it is through writing, drawing, dance, music or photography. I use photography for my artistic outlet because I canât draw, Iâm not the greatest writer, and I canât dance to save my life. Many students that I run into use photography for documenting the things they do every day or to share the experiences they have with friends.â

Schiller describes how with the proliferation of cameras in phones and digital technology advancing so quickly, photography is a particularly accessible form of art.

âNowadays, students donât even need to spend any money on printing photographs with the advent of so many digital photography outlets like Flickr, Instagram and Deviantart,â he says.

Students work through the basics of photography under Schillerâs tutelage, studying such themes as texture, perspective and light. After talking about these concepts, students submit their photos and he leads a monthly critique to discuss them in relationship to that monthâs theme.

âIt is amazing how much the studentsâ abilities grow in the few years that I have them in the club,â he says. âWe spend a lot of time shooting a variety of themes to get the students out of their comfort zones. Many of my students are used to taking candid shots of their friends, but taking a portrait is another thing entirely. I would like to get them to think of photography as a way to express their emotions and use a camera more like a paintbrush and less like a recorder.â

Since Schiller began the Poly Photography Club, he has arranged an End of the Year Gallery at a downtown Riverside location at the end of each academic year. Students have had their work exhibited at Division 9 Gallery, the Blood Orange Info Shop and, in June of this year, at the Riverside Art Museum.

âI know that it is an invaluable experience to have the students interact with the public and have the exposure that comes with showing their work,â he says. âI love to see how proud they are of their accomplishments after only a few months of taking photographs as part of the club.â

Schiller has had many former students return to tell him about how they are continuing to use their photographic skills in college, or how they are continuing to experiment. He has also seen his share of students who have gone on to work in the industry.

âLast year, one of my former students, Chrystal Springer, came to our End of the Year Gallery at the June Arts Walk and told me about how she is now working in the photographic field only a few years after graduating from high school,â he says. âSeveral years ago, one of my particularly talented students, Jordan Douglas, was even doing professional wedding photography as a side business while still in high school.â

While Schiller has not made the time to pursue independent exhibitions of his own work, he hopes to change that in the near future. As a student, he worked in depth with medium and large format cameras, learning advanced techniques by documentary photographer Fred Lonidier at UC San Diego and digital landscape/environmental photographer John Divola at UC Riverside.

âWhen Iâm out taking photographs, the most important thing to me is to be able to capture an emotional moment,â explains Schiller. âI look for inspiration in my surroundings and seek to capture in my photographs the awe they instill in me. I also love exploring new methods of taking photographs and would really love to do a show on the theme of chemistry that combines my love of photography and science.â

For more information on the Poly Photography Club, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/157037694503819/. The next End of the Year Gallery will take place on the first Thursday in June 2014.

âThe location is still up in the air, but hopefully we can get the chance to display our work at the Riverside Art Museum again,â says Schiller.

For more information about the Artist Spotlight, contact the Riverside Arts Council at 951-680-1345 or info@RiversideArtsCouncil.com. The Riverside Arts Council is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is âto provide, develop, support and sustain the arts.â It annually ranks as one of the top local arts agencies in the state through the California Arts Councilâs State/Local Partner Program. Established in 1977, it is Riverside Countyâs central source for arts-related services, information, education and outreach. Programs include arts education, exhibitions, technical assistance, marketing and convening of collaborative projects that connect groups and communities throughout the region. Visit www.RiversideArtsCouncil.com and sign up for the 15 Favorite Things to Do in Riverside.

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